CET-4 Listening Practice: A Cashless Canteen and Smartphone Lessons

Good afternoon, and welcome to the lunchtime news.

下午好，欢迎收看午间新闻。

Our first story is about a university canteen that no longer takes cash.

第一条新闻是关于一家不再收现金的大学食堂。

Since September, students at Hillside University have paid for meals by phone or with their student card.

从9月起，Hillside大学的学生用手机或学生卡支付饭钱。

The canteen says lunchtime queues now move twice as fast as before.

食堂表示，午餐时的队伍现在比以前快了1倍。

However, some students complained at first, because their phones sometimes ran out of battery.

不过，起初有些学生抱怨，因为他们的手机有时会没电。

So the canteen added charging points, and student cards are always accepted.

于是食堂增设了充电点，而且学生卡随时都能用。

But the bigger change is about food waste.

但更大的变化与食物浪费有关。

Last year, the canteen threw away about three hundred kilograms of food every week.

去年，这家食堂每周要扔掉大约300公斤食物。

Now main dishes come in smaller portions, and second helpings are free.

现在主菜的分量变小了，而且再添一份是免费的。

At the salad bar, students pay by weight, so they only take what they need.

在沙拉区，学生按重量付费，所以只拿自己需要的量。

Any leftovers are collected each evening and sent to a nearby farm to feed pigs.

剩饭剩菜每天傍晚被收走，送到附近的农场喂猪。

After just two months, food waste has already fallen by almost half!

仅仅2个月，食物浪费就已经减少了将近一半！

The university plans to try the same ideas in its other two canteens next term.

学校计划下学期在另外2个食堂也试行同样的做法。

Now for our second story, from a community centre across town.

接下来是第2条新闻，来自城市另一边的一个社区中心。

Thank you. Every Saturday morning, this hall is full of smartphones and laughter.

谢谢。每个星期六上午，这个大厅里满是智能手机和笑声。

About thirty university students volunteer here to help older residents with their phones.

大约30名大学生在这里做志愿者，帮助老年居民使用手机。

Most learners are over seventy, and many had never used a smartphone before.

大多数学员都已年过70，很多人以前从没用过智能手机。

The first thing everyone wants to learn is how to make a video call.

大家最想先学的就是怎么打视频电话。

Last week, one grandmother saw her new baby grandson on a video call for the first time!

上周，一位奶奶第一次通过视频电话见到了刚出生的小孙子！

Next, the volunteers show them how to book a doctor's appointment on their phone.

接着，志愿者教他们怎样用手机预约看医生。

Before, many of them waited in long lines at the hospital early in the morning.

以前，他们很多人一大早就得去医院排长队。

However, the most important lesson is how to avoid scams.

不过，最重要的一课是如何防范诈骗。

Last year, local police received over five hundred reports of phone scams against older people.

去年，当地警方接到了500多起针对老年人的电话诈骗报案。

So the students teach one simple rule: never share a password with anyone.

所以学生们教了一条简单的规则：密码绝不告诉任何人。

The volunteers say they have learned a lot too, especially how to be patient.

志愿者们说，他们自己也学到了很多，尤其是耐心。

The centre now hopes to start a second class on Sunday afternoons.

社区中心现在希望在周日下午再开1个班。

That's all for today's lunchtime news.

今天的午间新闻就到这里。

Thank you for listening, and have a lovely afternoon.

感谢收听，祝您下午愉快。